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Hampshire
County News
2010/2011
‘Rule 1: don’t set a standard, as regards either time or cost, which your successors may struggle to match’. Those were the first words of advice I received from Paddy Dent, at the start of the Burghley House seminar in 2008. Being in full-time employment at the time, I was very relieved to hear this removal of pressure. However, I rather failed to follow this advice. In the event, I gave up my job, drew up some plans in advance and ended up with a full diary. The more I did, and the more I got involved with local issues, the more I enjoyed it. It was the best year of my life.
Hampshire is a big County, with four Cathedrals, important bases for all three Services and three important courts. Over the year, my wife Ginny and I received eleven High Court judges and attended fourteen Royal visits, including that of HRH Prince Harry to the Mary Rose, of which I am a Trustee.
Much of what I did during my year was informed by what my predecessors had done both in Hampshire and in neighbouring Counties. We visited places of worship, forty-three in total, including a Buddhist monastery, two Temples, two mosques, and a synagogue, as well as churches and chapels belonging to all the main Christian denominations. It was a good way to meet a broad range of people. The climax of all these visits was a multi-faith service in Winchester Cathedral at which the speaker was the eminent Sikh, Dr Indarjit Singh.
Following in the footsteps of Val Powell (Hampshire 1999/2000,) we did nine walks around the County. Like other High Sheriffs, though not previously in Hampshire, I organised a concert in Winchester Cathedral, performed by various youth groups, and raised money for three charities in the process. As Oxfordshire initiated a few years ago, I organised a law lecture, given in the Great Hall of The Castle in Winchester, by Sir Charles Gray, a distinguished libel lawyer and former High Court judge. These events were all extremely worthwhile and, happily, it looks as though the multi-faith service, the concert and the law lecture are all going to continue.
At the request of the Chief Fire Officer and the Chief Constable, I got involved in establishing a new Trust called the Blue Lamp Trust. Hampshire has for some time had a Bobby Trust, which funds two people in vans going round and helping vulnerable individuals to feel safe in their own homes.This can involve changing locks, fitting window locks and fitting smoke alarms. Funding has traditionally come from local authorities and as this is now under pressure, we have decided to put alongside the Bobby Scheme a Driving School staffed by police driving instructors and offering courses which we are selling to local companies and individuals. This will, all being well, provide sustainable funding for the Bobby Scheme.
The homeless issue is a serious one, particularly as regards the young. I visited a number of places around the County where wonderful people are doing sterling work to help solve this very difficult problem in a constructive and positive way.
I am a climate change worrier and I was pleased to have the opportunity during my year in Office to discuss this issue with many schools, as well as holding, with the County Council, a conference open to all schools in the County.
So, in finding that I failed to take Paddy’s advice, have I done my successors a great disservice? I most sincerely hope not. I am sure my successors will continue to raise the profile of the Office in Hampshire in their own new and interesting ways. Meanwhile, for Ginny and me, it has been a fantastic year and a great privilege.
Alan C Lovell
High Sheriff of Hampshire 2010/2011
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| At the launch of the Blue Lamp Trust in September 2010. The people are: Deputy Chief Fire Officer Dave Curry, Chief Constable Alex Marshall, HM Lord Lieutenant of Hampshire Dame Mary Fagan, and myself. |
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At the Law Service in Winchester Cathedral in October 2010 with Peter Kingston, Isle of Wight, to the left and me with Mr Justice Field, the Presiding Judge of the Western Circuit. |
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